Have you ever wanted to order or purchase some product or service only to discover that the price advertised or shown, was not really the true bottom line and that there were additional fees attached? Yes, if you are like me, I am tired of paying additional fees for something I consider basic and should be included with the service. In today’s Money Monday we explore some ideas on how to avoid or beat the extra fees game.
Credit or Debit
While fewer people walk around today with cash in their wallets or purses, the truth is that cash still remains king! There are some services or businesses on which surcharges are imposed. A surcharge is nothing more than an extra fee or tax imposed on an item beyond the regular price. For example gas stations or restaurants impose a surcharge or extra fee on purchases made by credit card. The extra fee may range from 1.5% to 3.5% of the product or service cost just because you paid for it by using your credit card. So the next time you want to fill up your gas tank, you may want to consider using a debit card or cash. The key point here is that by law, a business is prohibited from charging you an extra fee when you pay by debit card.
Travel Fees
We have all fallen victim or have been tempted to pay some additional fees to purchase a seat from the airline when traveling. I hate to pay an extra $10 or $15, or more, for a seat when purchasing a ticket. The main way to avoid paying for your seat is to opt out of purchasing a seat, which is a choice I make regularly. Now I will admit that this strategy comes with the risk of you being assigned a middle seat on the flight. How do I reduce the middle seat assignment? You arrive at the airport early. That way you can negotiate for a change of seating since lots of people arrive later to check in. This provides you with a greater opportunity of obtaining a window or aisle seat thereby avoiding the extra seating fee. Finally, if it’s a short flight, I’m more likely to opt out of paying the extra seats fee and take the risk of being assigned a middle seat.
Car Rental Insurance
I am sure most people are aware that if you rent a vehicle, you can use your personal private vehicle insurance to insure your rental. Applying your personal vehicle insurance to your rental allows you to avoid purchasing insurance from the rental company. While that may be common knowledge, there are a few things of which you need to be aware. First if your private vehicle auto insurance policy doesn’t cover both collision and comprehensive, then it won’t cover it on your rental. Thus, you will be underinsured in the event of an accident. You need to have full coverage on your personal policy.
Secondly, when obtaining a car rental consider using a credit card that offers car rental insurance, especially if you are leaving the country. While you may use a credit card that provides car rental insurance, note that most of these credit cards exclude Italy, Australia, Israel and Jamaica from their coverage. Chase Bank credit cards offer the best car rental benefits, in my opinion, if you’re considering which credit card to use for vehicle rentals.
Entertainment
According to the Government Accountability Office (GAO), the average fee for purchasing a concert or sports ticket is 27% of the ticket cost. As a Los Angeles Lakers fan, I refuse to pay those fees for a game ticket. The best way to avoid or reduce paying fees, while not convenient, is to purchase your ticket at the venue’s box office instead. If your team does not win the game, at least you would have saved some money in the process.
TODAY’S WHAT’S UP!
Today’s What’s Up is about how much money you should keep in your checking account. Interest rates on checking accounts are paying about 0.008 so keeping lots of money in your checking account does not make sense today. The recommendation from some banking officials is that you retain one month’s operating or monthly living expenses in your checking account. At most, they suggest you retain two months of your living expenses in your operating or checking account. If it’s not earning or working for you, why keep it in your checking account? And that’s what’s up!
Ruthven R. Phillip, Esq., is a tax attorney, Stewardship and Philanthropy Ministry Assistant, and CEO of Give2Getrich, LLC. Give2Get Rich, LLC 2024. All Rights Reserved. Any distribution or reproduction of part or all of the contents in any form is prohibited.
